Sensing-Type Lavatory Seat Structure with Covering Film

ABSTRACT

A sensing-type lavatory seat structure with covering film includes a covering film output portion and a covering film collecting portion, a rolling motor and a pivot motor accommodated in a body portion thereof, and a U-shaped seat, through two ends thereof, connected to the covering film output portion and the covering film collecting portion. When the user approaches, a sensing unit senses the situation, controls the pivot motor to lower down the seat and controls the rolling motor to replace the covering film. Then, after the user leaves, the sensing unit once again senses the variation, and controls the pivot motor to lift up the seat to wait for the next time usage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a sensing-type lavatory seatstructure with covering film, and more particularly to a lavatory seatstructure which can automatically replace the covering film for the seatand also can lower down and lift up the seat corresponding to adetecting result from a sensing unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water closet is a very important invention in modern times, even moreimportant than the gunpowder and the compass. Without water closet,people might not get free from the foul smell of excrement. It is ageneral opinion that water closet was invented by Sir John Harrington,who was a courtier of Queen Elizabeth, in 1596. Until 1778, JosephBramah improved the design of water closet and granted the patent. Rightnow, not only for flushing excrement, the water closet also should beprovided with other functions, such as sanitation and comfort.

Generally, when using a public lavatory, some people might just sit onthe water closet without considering, but most people will pay attentionto the cleanness of lavatory seat. Therefore, for avoiding from beingcontaminated by the dirt or filth, some people might directly squat onthe lavatory seat, which actually will worsen the situation and alsomake the later user more uncomfortable. One solution is to lay thetoilet papers or tissues on the seat for cutting off the direct contactwith the seat. However, this method might consume the toilet paper, andactually, the wind pressure caused from the sitting action of the usermight also blow the paper away, so that this obviously is veryinconvenient.

Consequently, the improvement is developed. Please refer R.O.C. PatentNo. M296021, entitled “lavatory seat cushion”, which discloses alavatory seat cushion, which can be positioned on a circular lavatoryseat, including a circular bottom board for positioning on the lavatoryseat, a fixing unit for fixing the bottom board on the lavatory seat,plural stacked circular cushions laid on the bottom board, a circularpressing element for pressing the topmost cushion, and pluralpositioning elements for pressing at the top of the pressing element andpositioning thereof on the cushions.

But, this conventional structure is disadvantageous that if the formeruser splashes the filth or sewage onto the cushions, it might become,not only the topmost cushion, but all the cushions are contaminated, soas to cause the cushions can not be used any more. Besides, thisconventional structure is also disadvantageous that since the cleaneralways clean the water closet by water column, this structure whichdirectly lays the cushions on the seat might easily be contaminated bywater, or the cleaner has to disassemble the cushions, which is not onlywasting time but also inconvenient.

Therefore, another structure is proposed, such as R.O.C. Patent No.M303712, entitled “foldable and portable lavatory seat fixing device” inwhich the fixing device includes a portable lavatory seat, pluralportable rollers and plural bent arms whose diameter is far less thanthe inner diameter of the roller, characterized in that when lifting upthe portable lavatory seat, the bent arm of the fixing device canautomatically be rotated out owing to the gravity so as to block and fixthe lavatory seat, thereby fixing the portable lavatory seat andreducing the volume.

However, except the travelers, it is hard for the common user to carrythis kind of conventional structure only for temporary demand. Besides,this device not only occupies volume and weight, but also needs to becleaned after using, so that it is also very inconvenient.

Consequently, owing to the drawbacks described above, it is really anurgent for the manufacturer to improve the lavatory seat for proving theuser a better solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For solving the defects described above, the object of the presentinvention is to provide a sensing-type lavatory seat structure withcovering film, so as to solve the problems that the lavatory seatcushion is not convenient in use, is easily contaminated and mightinfluence the cleaner.

For achieving the object described above, the main body of the presentinvention includes a body portion, a seat, a rolling motor, a pivotmotor and a sensing unit, wherein the two ends of the body portionrespectively have a covering film output portion and a covering filmcollecting portion mounted thereon, and the rolling motor and the pivotmotor are accommodated in the body portion. The seat approximately has aU shape and the two ends thereof are respectively connected to thecovering film output portion and the covering film collecting portion. Apivot is mounted at the linking portion between the seat and thecovering film collecting portion, and the seat is mounted on the bodyportion through the pivot, which is driven by the pivot motor. Wheninstalling, the covering film is pulled out from the output roller ofthe covering film output portion and covers on the seat, the coveringfilm is pulled to the collecting roller inside the covering filmcollecting portion along the seat, and then, the covering film is rolledup and collected by the collecting roller, which is driven by therolling motor. The sensing unit can detect the environment and send outsignal for controlling the pivot motor and the rolling motor, whereinthe sensing unit includes an optical sensing unit and a pressure sensingunit. The optical sensing unit is used to detect that the user isapproaching or leaving away. The pressure sensing unit is used to senseif the user sits on the seat.

In the present invention, the main body is mounted on the base of thewater closet, so that when the user approaches, the sensing unit detectsthe position of the user through the optical sensing unit and sends outsignal to the pivot motor, and then, the pivot motor drives the pivot.When the seat lowers down, the pivot motor stops driving the pivot andsends out signal to the rolling motor, so that the rolling motor drivesthe collecting roller to roll up the covering film, so as to collect theold covering film into the collecting roller and replace a new coveringfilm for the seat. Therefore, every user can have a brand-new coveringfilm.

When the user sits on the seat, the pressure sensing unit is initiatedowing to the pressure, and after the user leaves the seat, the pressuresensing unit senses the pressure disappeared and sends the signal to thepivot motor, so that the pivot motor drives the pivot to lift up theseat, thereby avoiding the seat from being contaminated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sensing unit alsocan be installed at the top of the water tank of the water closet, so asto avoid erroneous trigger by cleaner. In still another embodiment ofthe present invention, the pressure sensing unit also can be omitted andonly the optical sensing unit is mounted on the base of the watercloset, which also can achieve the same effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a decomposition drawing showing the appearance of asensing-type lavatory seat structure with covering film in a firstembodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a sensing-typelavatory seat structure with covering film in a first embodimentaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are schematic views showing thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the 6-6 section in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a sensing-typelavatory seat structure with covering film in a second embodimentaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a sensing-typelavatory seat structure with covering film in a third embodimentaccording to the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the system of a sensing-type lavatoryseat structure with covering film according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The present invention is related to asensing-type lavatory seat structure with covering film whose main body10 including a body portion 11, a seat 15, a pivot motor 111, a rollingmotor 112 and a sensing unit 14, wherein the body portion 11 have acovering film output portion 13 and a covering film collecting portion12 respectively mounted at two ends thereof, and the covering filmoutput portion 13 has an output roller 131 mounted therein and thecovering film collecting portion 12 has a collecting roller 121 and aguiding wheel 122 mounted therein. Moreover, the rolling motor 112, thepivot motor 111 and a power supplier 113 are accommodated in the centerof the body portion 11, and the power supplier 113 can be battery,accumulator or the general plug, which is conventional, so that no moreunnecessary details will be given.

Furthermore, the body portion 11 is pivotally connected to a cover 16 attwo ends thereof, so that the cover 16 can have a pivot movementrelative to the main body 10, thereby covering the seat 15.

The seat 15 approximately has a U shape and the two ends thereof arerespectively connected to the covering film output portion 13 and thecovering film collecting portion 12. A pivot 153 is mounted at thelinking portion between the seat 15 and the covering film collectingportion 12, and the seat 15 is mounted on the body portion 11 throughthe pivot 153, which is driven by the pivot motor 111, and a guidingpiece 151 is pivotally mounted between the seat 15 and the covering filmoutput portion 13. When installing, the covering film 20 is pulled outfrom the output roller 131 of the covering film output portion 13 andcovers on the seat 15 through the guiding by the guiding piece 151, thecovering film 20 is pulled to the collecting roller 121 inside thecovering film collecting portion 12 along the seat 15, and then, thecovering film 20 is rolled up and collected by the collecting roller121, which is driven by the rolling motor 112. Besides, there areseveral pads 152 mounted at the bottom of the seat 15 for protecting theseat 15 from colliding with the water closet 30.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the sensing unit 14can detect the environment and send out signal for controlling the pivotmotor 111 and the rolling motor 112, wherein the sensing unit 14includes an optical sensing unit 141 and a pressure sensing unit 142.The optical sensing unit 141 is mounted on the body portion 11 at aposition toward the seat 15 for detecting that the user is approachingor leaving away. The pressure sensing unit 142 is protrudently mountedat the bottom of the seat 15 near the front portion thereof and has aheight identical to the pads 152, so as to sense if the user sits on theseat 15.

When using, the main body 10 is mounted on the base 31 of the watercloset 30, so that when the user approaches, the sensing unit 14 detectsthe position of the user through infrared rays from the optical sensingunit 141 and sends out signal to the pivot motor 111, and then, thepivot motor 111 drives the pivot 153. When the seat 15 lowers down, thepivot motor 111 stops driving the pivot 153 and sends out signal to therolling motor 112, so that the rolling motor 112 drives the collectingroller 121 to roll up the covering film 20, thereby collecting the oldcovering film 20 into the collecting roller 121 and replacing a newcovering film 20 for the seat 15.

When the user sits on the seat 15, the pressure sensing unit 142 isinitiated owing to the pressure, and after the user leaves the seat 15,the pressure sensing unit 142 senses the pressure disappeared and sendsthe signal to the pivot motor 111, so that the pivot motor 111 drivesthe pivot 153 to lift up the seat 15, thereby avoiding the seat 15 frombeing contaminated.

Please refer to FIG. 3 to FIG. 8 which show the operation of the presentinvention. The seat 15 of the main body 10 is mounted on the base 31 ofthe water closet 30 and the body portion 11 is rejected to the watertank 32 of the water closet 30. When the user approaches or waves thehand, the light radiated by the optical sensing unit 141 is blocked, sothat the optical sensing unit 141 sends out signal to the pivot motor 11for controlling. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the pivot motor 111 drivesthe pivot 153 to have the pivoting movement for lowering down the seat15, and when the pivot motor 111 drives the pivot 153 to a fixedposition and the seat 15 is just positioned on the base 31 of the watercloset 30, the pivot motor 111 sends out the signal to the rolling motor112. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the rolling motor 112 drives thecollecting roller 121 to roll pivotally for pulling the covering film20, which will be more smooth through the guiding wheel 122, and thus,the old covering film 20 is moved along the seat 15 and collected by thecollecting roller 121, thereby pulling out the brand-new covering film20 from the covering film output roller 131.

The rolling distance of the collecting roller 121 driven by the rollingmotor 112 is just identical to the total length of the seat 15, so thatthe rolling motor 112 can precisely drive the collecting roller 121 toreceive the old covering film 20 through only one time rolling, and atthe same time, the new covering film 20 can completely cover the seat15, thereby the user can realize that the covering film is brand-new.According to FIG. 6, the covering film 20 has a hollow tube typestructure, so that whole the seat 15 can be circularly covered withoutblocking.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the user sits on the seat 15, the pressuresensing unit 142 will be initiated by the pressure, and when the userleaves, the pressure sensing unit 142 senses the pressure variation, sothat the pressure sensing unit 142 sends out signal to the pivot motor111 to drive the pivot 153 and therefore lift the seat 15 (as shown inFIG. 8). Thus, it can avoid the seat 15 to be left on the base 31 and becontaminated and also prevent the seat 15 from being damaged by abnormalusage.

Please refer to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 which respectively show the secondembodiment and the third embodiment of the present invention. In thesecond embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the optical sensing unit 141 canbe mounted at the top of the water tank 32 of the water closet 30, sothat it can avoid the optical sensing unit 141 from being erroneouslytriggered by the cleaner, and thus, prevent the pivot motor 111 and therolling motor 112 from acting, which might waste the covering film 20.

In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the pressure sensing unit142 also can be omitted and only the optical sensing unit 141 is mountedon the base 31 of the water closet 31 at the position toward the frontdirection. Therefore, when the user approaches, the optical sensing unit141 can detect the approaching and send out the signal to the pivotmotor 111 to lower down the seat 15, and when the seat 15 is fallen onthe base 31, the pivot motor 111 sends out signal to the rolling motor112 for changing the covering film 20. Then, when the user leaves theseat 15, the optical sensing unit 141 will sense the leaving of the userand send out signal to the pivot motor 111 for driving the pivot motor111 to lift up the seat 15. Thereby, the effect identical to the firstembodiment can be achieved.

Please refer to FIG. 11, which is a block diagram showing the system ofthe present invention. The system includes a processing unit 17, and thepressure sensing unit 142 and the optical sensing unit 141 are connectedto the rolling motor 112 and the pivot motor 111 through the processingunit 17, so that when the pressure sensing unit 142 and the opticalsensing unit 141 sense the variation, the signals are sent to theprocessing unit 17, and then the processing unit 17 sends out signals tocontrol the rolling motor 112 and the pivot motor 111, so as to performthe series actions described above.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerouscharacteristics and advantages of the present invention have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrativeonly, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape,size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention tothe full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms inwhich the appended claims are expressed.

1. A sensing-type lavatory seat structure with covering film, comprisinga main body having: a body portion, a seat, a rolling motor, a pivotmotor and a sensing unit, wherein the body portion comprises a coveringfilm output portion and a covering film collecting portion and therolling motor, and the pivot motor are accommodated in the body portion;the seat approximately has a U shape and the two ends thereof arerespectively connected to the covering film output portion and thecovering film collecting portion, wherein the covering film collectingportion is driven by the rolling motor and the seat is driven by thepivot motor, and the sensing unit controls the actions of the rollingmotor and the pivot motor; and thereby, when the user approaches, thesensing unit senses the approaching and sends out signal to control thepivot motor to lower down and also to control the rolling motor to act,so as to replace the covering film.
 2. The structure as claimed in claim1, wherein, when the user leaves, the sensing unit senses the leavingand sends out signal to control the pivot motor to lift up the seat. 3.The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is mountedon the body portion.
 4. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesensing unit includes an optical sensing unit for detecting throughinfrared rays.
 5. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesensing unit comprises a pressure sensing unit for detecting thepressure.
 6. The structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pressuresensing unit is mounted at the bottom of the seat.
 7. The structure asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the seat is pivotally connected to a guidingpiece for smoothly covering the covering film onto the seat.
 8. Thestructure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering film collectingportion has a guiding wheel for smoothly rolling up and collecting thecovering film.
 9. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bodyportion is pivotally connected to a cover for covering the seat.
 10. Thestructure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body portion has a powersupplier mounted therein for providing power to the rolling motor andthe pivot motor.